Where are They Now? Floricello

In 2013 the Oldenburg reserve licensing champion Floricello made a splash by winning the silver medal at the 2013 World Young Horse Championships in Verden under Andreas Helgstrand. At the same time the liver chestnut stallion was beginning to prove his worth as a breeding stallion and a sale to Sara Marburg from Munich soon followed. Since then Floricello has disappeared from the scene. Where is he now?

Floricello is a 2008 born Oldenburg stallion bred by Georg Sieverding. He is by Florencio out of Starlett (by Dormello x Feingau x Inschallah AA).

He became the reserve champion of the 2010 Oldenburg Stallion Licensing in Vechta and sold to Inger Marie Hemmingsen in Sweden.

In 2011 Heiko Klausing competed him at the 2011 Oldenburg young horse championships in Rastede and a few months later Jennie Hemmingsen scored silver at the 2011 Swedish Young Horse Championships with him.

In May 2012 a 50% ownership share in Floricello sold to Danish Andreas Helgstrand and the horse moved to Denmark for further training.

Andreas and Floricello earned the silver in the 5-year old division at 2013 World Young Horse Championships in Verden, Germany. They took a rocky start with a 19th place in the preliminary test (7.68), then won the consolation finals (8.80) and finished second in the big finals (8.72) for silver. Two months later they scored bronze at the 2013 Danish Young Horse Championships in Odense, Denmark.

In the spring of 2014 Munich based entrepreneur Sara Marburg acquired Floricello as part of a mass horse shopping deal, which also included the Grand Prix horse Polka Hit Nexen, and younger stars Stevie Wonder, Zadetto and Didando. Since then Floricello disappeared from the scene

Where is He Now?

Marburg's assistant trainer Andrea Vodermair competed Floricello only once in May 2014 at a local show in Kreuth, Germany. The pair contested two L-level dressage horse tests and finished third twice. Since then the horse has not been out as he sustained an injury which has sidelined him now for almost three years.

"Floricello is well and happy but has not been on competitions," Marburg told Eurodressage.

Sara confirmed that Floricello has been injured and has not yet reached the required fitness level to be back in full training. He is currently rehabilitating at Andrea Vodermair's stable Max Hof near Munich, Germany.

"Always when we expected (him) to be all right again, he was not completely fit," she explained. "So we decided not to make any pressure and give him every time he needs. Sometimes one thing comes after another, but every horseman knows that this sometimes can happen. We did and still do the best for him and he has a good time here near Munich, so for the horse everything is fine and for the rider and for me as owner I am full of hope to see him in competions in this year again."

As a breeding stallion Floricello is proving his worth. At the 2017 Swedish warmblood stallion performance testing, Formalin (by Floricello x D-Day) was one of the few 3-year old stallions that stood out in the collection. Also licensed are Oban VH (by Floricello x De Niro), Klifton (by Floricello x Briar), and Fairway (by Floricello x Sandro Hit). The 3-year old mare Florence VH (by Floricello x Rohdiamant) was the 3-year old winner at the 2016 Swedish Young Horse Championships. Klifton won bronze at the 2015 Swedish Young Horse Championships. Paulinda Friberg's international Grand Prix mare Di Lapponia T has two Floricello foals on the ground, Fiorello and Fratello.